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Hiatory Question 2
Topic Started: Mar 22 2011, 11:32 PM (239 Views)
Spm
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I am the worst
More shit for school - thank fuck for the spam zone =D


History Question 2

The genocide of the Jewish community at the hands of the Nazis was one of the biggest mass murders in history. One of the greatest mysteries of the holocaust is whether or not the German people knew about the killings being carried out in their name.


In 1966, Daniel Goldhagen wrote a book called ‘Hitler’s Willing Executioners’, in which he claimed that “All Germans knew, therefore all German’s where guilty.’ This view on how much the German people knew about the holocaust is one of the most extreme. One such extract suggests that if people did not know they must have at least suspected. More evidence can be seen to support this fact in Goldhagen’s book wherein he claims that in 1942 a German Woman wrote in her diary: “The Jews are disappearing in throngs. Ghastly rumours are current about the fate of the evacuees – mass shootings and death by starvation, tortures and gassings.” Some people believe that there’s no way the German people couldn’t have known, as photographs where being smuggled out and leaflets where being dropped by the British and French. Also, ‘allied broadcasts’ where being sent out from radio stations telling of the atrocities being carried out.
Hans and Sophie Scholl, the two leaders of ‘White Rose’ – an anti Nazi organisation – repeatedly went against their Government. Hans had been made to do 2 years in the military and had seen the mistreatment of the Jews through violence and cruelty. Unlike the majority of the German population, Hans decided to do something about what he had seen.
Hans joined the ‘Hitler Youth’ in 1933 and due to his father’s views, began to see through the lies fed to him there. After returning from the military in 1940, he and seven others – including his sister – formed ‘White Rose’ and began using passive means to speak out against their Government. During 1942, he was again forced to serve as a soldier, carrying out medical duties. While on duty, he witnessed the SS murdering Jews in Poland.
After returning, they began sending out leaflets to the homes of students and bar owners, detailing the events of the holocaust and the crimes carried out by the Nazi government and eventually began giving speeches and dropping leaflets off the top of buildings into populated streets. On one such illegally issued leaflet, it was written: “Why in the face of all this inhuman crime, does the German Nation appear not to care? The situation is just accepted and the German nation goes on sleeping it’s dull, stupid sleep, giving these Nazi criminals the boldness and opportunity to storm ahead and wipe out the Jewish community.” While in course of dropping leaflets off of buildings, someone called the police and White Rose’s leaders where arrested – their punishments was death by guillotine. With Han’s and the other’s deaths, white Rose ceased to exist.
Richard Grunbeger claims that the holocaust was not a real event for people, as the Jews where not portrayed as real people. Even those who often comforted themselves with the thought that “this was the price they had to pay for the benefits of Hitler’s rule” (from a 1997 History Text Book.) In addition, Gerald Reitlinger released a book called ‘The Final Solution,’ in which he claimed that is was “difficult to believe that there existed in Germany… anyone who did not know that most of the Jews… had disappeared, and had not heard some story that they had been shot or gassed. Nor do I suppose that there was anybody who did not have a friend, who knew somebody else that had seen a massacre. More than a hundred million people must have known such things and whispered about them.” This implies that news of the holocaust was being passed by word of mouth and that everyone must have at least heard a rumour detailing the events.
A 2008 history text book claims that German did know, but that “how much they knew is a different matter.” It goes on to state that although they where told the Jews where being resettled, through the method of their arrest and transportation, as well as general gossip, they must have had a general idea of the truth. This is supported in that Albert Speer – a German citizen at the time of Nazism – wrote “When I think about the fate of Berlin’s Jews, I am overcome by an unbearable feeling of failure and inadequacy. When I saw crowds of people o the platform, I knew this had to be Jews being evacuated… Perhaps too, burying ourselves in work was an unconscious effort to anaesthetize out conscience.” In addition, Himmler’s statistician, Richard Korherr stated that “everyone knew about the gassings, good heavens the sparrows where whistling it from the rooftops.”

However, though propaganda and control, it is implied that many people could easily not have known. The Nazis showed propaganda to cinema audiences, featuring Jews being resettled in happy conditions, working and learning, however by the time this video was released almost all of the Jews seen in it had been killed. Moreover, propaganda was broadcasted through all types of media, all over Germany. Also, those living outside of cities, in the country most likely wouldn’t have known. In addition, the Nazis would kill or concentrate anyone who spoke out, making many people unwilling to believe the rumours – this was stated by Pastor Martin Niemoller.
There was much more opposing propaganda – ever since Germans entered school, they where being controlled – history text books where re-written, German where made to take a class called “race theory” wherein they where taught the Nazi’s views on the ‘Aryan Race,’ how Jews where the ‘Enemy of the Reich’ and how to recognise them. Moreover, everyone had to join youth clubs, such as the ‘Hitler Youth, or the ‘League of German Maidens.’ In these clubs they where taught ever more of the Nazi’s views on life, through fun activities or lessons. These methods of indoctrination meant the German people where no only unwilling to believe the truth but that some of them genuinely didn’t – people tend to believe what they want to believe and in terms of fear, what is safest to believe.

To me, it seems that the only way the German people could not have known what was going on under Hitler’s rule is if they where some of the few who lived in the country side, or mountainous areas, far away from any city and with not forms of contact with them e.g. radios. However, those in cities clearly knew, yet as in almost every major crime committed by a government in history, chose to believe what they want to believe – that the government are turhtful, that they’ll keep their promises, that their government is fair, while it’s the others who are the true monsters. The evidence of the holocaust in Germany was overwhelming, compared to the evidence against it. I think that the German people did know but a lot of them tried to deny it or pretend it didn’t exist, as is human nature – self preservation and survival comes above all else.
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SilverBlade
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What a coincidence! I just handed in a historical investigation on Hitler!

My edit color is blue.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl friend code: 1161-1132-1828
Medal of Honor Heroes 2 persona: Silver784
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Spm
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o rly :o

Well, this didn't get printed off in time, so I had to write it off the first draft D:
Not much different anyway, only the structure and some of the words/details.
Pinkie Pie is best pony


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